Tact and Grace
by bare-footed-muse
Summary: Kristoff and Anna don't often argue, but when they do, it is fierce. A quick little fic about arguments, forgiveness, and the moral high ground.


Anna stormed into their room, tearing her hair down from its updo.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"What the hell is wrong with _you_?"

She whirled around to face him, scowling.

"You can't just _act _that way in front of people, it's so unbelievably rude – "

Kristoff threw his hands in the air. "So this is _my _fault?"

"I didn't _say _that – "

"But that's what you meant!"

They glowered at each other.

Angrily, Kristoff stalked over to his side of the bed, struggling out of the jacket and yanking off the cravat. He dropped them on the floor.

"Are you just going to leave them there?"

He shot her a filthy look. "That's what you do with _your_ clothes."

Anna closed her eyes and tried very hard not to kick the bedpost.

He was _infuriating_.

"It is not ok, Kristoff, to act like that. It is not ok."

"Oh, I'm sorry, you're right, it's not like I was _responding_ to anything…"

Anna pinched the bridge of her nose. "I didn't _mean _it like that, I wasn't thinking – "

"Yeah, well you never think. You just open your mouth and stuff comes out."

He was sat back on the bed, resolutely avoiding her eye. It was _endlessly _frustrating, and Anna felt like she wanted to shake him. Or break something.

"I'm sorry, ok? I'm sorry I made you feel like that."

"You're crap at apologies."

"What? I said, 'I'm sorry'. What do you want, exactly?"

"You're just apologising for how I feel! Not what you did!"

He stood up suddenly, pacing. Anna pressed her hands to her forehead and exhaled, trying to calm down.

"I'm sorry I said that. There. Is that better?"

"Not really."

"Urgh! Kristoff!" She did shout, then: to hell with calming down, he was so _petty_, and – "You're being an ass! I said I'm sorry, all right?"

"You shouldn't do it at all!" He was shouting now too, and Anna scowled at him, stony. "You have no idea – when we started this whole thing, Anna, you said you'd help me! You said it didn't matter who I was, if I dressed up like an idiot I'd be just as good as anyone else there –"

"And you are!" she screamed, almost as red as her hair, literally stamping her foot. "You _are _as good as anyone else, you don't need to be _ashamed_, or – "

"You have to ask me! You can't just assume I'm ok with stuff, I'm not _like _you, Anna, I can't just – I don't _like _people, and people don't like me –"

"I'm sorry! Ok? I'm sorry!" She felt her eyes welling up – stupid, a stupid habit of crying when she was angry, it always undermined her point – and fought very hard not to say sod the whole thing and just go to bed. "I didn't realise how it would sound, and I didn't mean to make you feel like that. It was stupid, and I'm sorry. But you _cannot – _"

"Oh, here we go," Kristoff threw up his hands again before tugging irritably at the stiff, white shirt he was wearing. "We were _this _close to you actually apologising, and then you have to take the moral high ground –"

"Kris_toff!_" Anna wailed, seizing his wrists. "Come _on._ We both behaved like asses – I mean, me not intentionally, but I _know _that's not the point – "

"_Anna!_"

"All right, all right – we both behaved like asses. I'm sorry, ok?"

He relaxed slightly in her firm little grip, still scowling like the thunder, but at least, now, not shouting.

"Ok."

She continued to glare, waiting for him to reciprocate with an apology of his own.

He clenched his jaw, exhaled, and conceded.

"I'm sorry, too. I probably – I should have just talked to you, or something. Not just left."

"Not just _nearly chucked half your drink over the Duke _and left."

"That was an accident."

There was a beat.

She still had angry tears in her eyes, and made an attempt to wipe them away with the heel of her hand.

"I hate it when we argue."

"Me too."

He already looked rueful. The disgruntlement of humiliation still hung around him, but he did look truly sorry to have yelled. "Just… please don't bring up my childhood without asking. You know that."

She nodded. "I do."

After a moment of prickling tension, they hugged. Anna relaxed against him, trying to communicate the depths of her apology through how tight she held him.

"Are we friends again?"

"We're always friends." He hugged her back, chin on the top of her head. "I'm sorry for shouting."

"Me too."

She pulled back, sniffing and wiping her eyes again. "Right. Shall we get you out of those stupid clothes, then?"

"God, please."

The tension between them eased a little as she helped unbutton the stiff shirt and he helped her out of the tight lacing of her dress. A sombre but penitent quiet billowed in the room.

They got ready for bed, quietly, only speaking when was necessary.

Eventually they lay facing each other.

Anna stared in silence at him for a minute

"Do you really think I never think?"

Hesitantly, Kristoff pushed some hair back from her face. When she did not retreat, he left his hand against her cheek. "Of course not. I mean, you _do_ leap before you look. Sometimes. A lot. Especially when you're excited. But – I was angry. You're one of the most thoughtful people I know."

Anna brooded. "Not in any way that counts, though."

"Yes in any way that counts."

She wriggled closer to him. "Do you think?"

"Yeah."

They were quiet again, and Anna pressed her forehead to his jaw. "I'm sorry I do things like that, Kristoff."

"I know. I'm sorry I'm not better with people."

She looked up at him. "I don't mind it. You're good with reindeers."

He smiled slightly. "I am."

"And ice."

"Yeah."

"And me. You're pretty good with me."

He looked down at her, deadpan. "Did you just put yourself in the same category as ice and reindeers?"

"Shush. I'm a simple girl."

They ebbed off to sleep, arms around each other.

Anna had always been good at forgiveness. And Kristoff – well, Anna had taught him how to forgive.


End file.
